Madness Returns
by Bronzey
Summary: Begins a few minutes before the end of season 1. Henry is lost in Wonderland. Emma and Regina must work together to find him.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **Madness Returns  
**Fandom: **Once Upon a Time  
**Pairing: **Emma/Regina  
**Warnings or Spoilers**: The entire first season is fair game  
**Summary**: What happens after magic returns to the small town in Maine.  
**Rating: **Let's go with... R. I think there's a naughty word somewhere in there  
**Author's Note: **I re-wrote the very last scene of season 1 – the bit in the hospital. Just imagine there was a slightly larger time span between the curse breaking and the magic overtaking the town. All the rest is probably mostly the same. My mind plays tricks on me at times, though, so if there are any plot holes, loops, zig-zags, or u-turns, I halfheartedly apologize in advance.

**PROLOGUE**

"What _is_ that?" Emma muttered. Her eye caught motion outside Henry's hospital window, and the strangeness of what she saw pulled her to her feet and across the small room.

"What is what?" Henry asked with charged curiosity as he craned his neck to see out the window. An IV tethered him to his bed, and he yanked at it impatiently.

Emma heard the noise of the rattling IV and ripped her eyes away from the alien sight. She saw Henry attempting to get to his feet.

"Oh, no. Don't even think about, kid."

Henry huffed and put his feet back on the bed. "Then tell me what's outside. Are they burning the Evil Queen at the stake?" He asked with a hopeful grin.

Emma grimaced. "That's not even funny. No one's getting burned at any stakes." She returned to Henry's bedside and gave him a pointed look. "_Especially_ not your mother."

Henry flopped back onto his pillow and rolled his eyes dramatically. "You seriously still think she's my mother?"

"Regina raised you, cared for you, _loved_ you for 10 years," Emma replied even as her eyes were drawn back to the window. From her new angle, she could no longer see the purple cloud that was rolling in from the edge of town, but could sense the sky darkening. "If that's not a mother, then I don't know what is."

Henry sighed and shook his head. "You really are hopeless."

"Listen, Henry, I know love when I see it. And she loves you. Evil Queen or not."

"So you believe she's the Evil Queen?" Henry said with a wide grin.

"All the people babbling about remembering Fairytale Land and calling her 'Your Majesty' kind of tipped me off." Emma's eyes were drawn to the window once more, and her voice grew distracted. "The dragon did too," she muttered as she watched the purple cloud swirl across distant rooftops.

"There's a dragon?" Henry said and frantically began picking at the medical tape that held the IV onto his arm.

"No, Henry, there's no dragon," Emma said as she backed away from the window. "I need to talk to the doctor. I'll be on the other side of that window. If you touch that tape again or leave that bed, you'll wish it were a dragon." She reached down and squeezed his hand gently. "Hear me?"

Henry nodded reluctantly. Emma eyed him disapprovingly. He rolled his eyes again. "I hear you."

Emma gestured two fingers at her eyes and back at Henry while mouthing "watching you" as she backed out of the hospital room's door.

Emma scanned the hallway for Dr. Whale, but found no one, not even a stray orderly. She grunted in frustration and moved down the hallway until she finally heard the distant sound of voices. She followed the excited noises until she reached a large conference room. The door was ajar, and the sound of her name halted her in her tracks.

"_Emma_ is the only one who can break this curse."

"Then why isn't the curse broken? Why are we still in this land? Clearly, the curse is _not _broken," an angry voice spewed.

"The prophecy said..."

"I don't give a flying troll's ass what the prophecy says!"

"The curse is sort of broken," a hesitant voice said. "I mean, we remember everything now, right? Something broke."

"_Sort of_ doesn't bring me home," the angry voice replied.

The hesitant voice grew more confident. "It isn't horrible here. I can think of a countless worlds far worse than what we have here." A few small murmurs of agreement bubbled through the room.

"Other than the whole time-not-passing thing, it's a damn sight better than what I had before, I'll tell you that," a new voice said in agreement.

"You _like_ this hell hole?" the angry voice boomed back. "You do realize that..."

A loud voice suddenly interrupted. "What is _that_?" Emma recognized the interrupting voice as Dr. Whale and heard the sudden squeal of chairs and shuffling steps.

Emma shook her head, realizing with a frown that she had been eavesdropping. Her feet regained their animation and propelled her into the room. No one noticed. Everyone was staring out an open window.

"Magic," the previously angry voice muttered in a subdued tone.

"Magic? Seriously?" Emma said with disbelief as she neared the crowd huddled around the window.

No one had time to acknowledged her presence before a dense purple fog flooded the room and effectively stopped all conversation.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 1**

Emma staggered as the cloud overtook the room. Every nerve ending in her body jumped to life for the briefest of moments. It filled her with a jolting shock that could only be described as agonizingly erotic.

"Holy... what the..." she muttered and stumbled against a nearby wall. Her knees gave out and she slid weakly to the ground. She shuttered as the feeling began to fade.

Around her, the small collection of once-hospital workers were also having reactions Reactions that reminded Emma of nothing she'd ever seen mainly because she'd never been to a mental hospital.

Dr. Whale caught Emma's attention first. He was standing on top of the conference room table. Pacing. Muttering. "We're alive. Alive!" A wild laugh. "All so _very_ alive." He paused and tilted his head. Suddenly, his eyes locked onto Emma's. "Well, perhaps some of us more than others." Another laugh escaped his lips as he bounded off the table and out the door.

The woman Emma knew as Mother Superior at the town's small convent was hopping up and down near the window. A string of curses flew from her mouth, her voice growing more frustrated with each hop.

"Emma, are you alright?" a voice said from beside her. She recognized it as the hesitant voice she'd heard before the purple invasion.

"Henry." It was the only word Emma could manage. She looked up. Her eyes met the eyes of a tall young woman dressed in baggy jeans and a t-shirt.

"Henry. Your kid, right?

"A pox upon them!" yelled a large, doughy man in a suit. He was furiously attempting to rip his tie from his neck, but the movement did nothing but tighten the knot. His round face was reddening in frustration. "We rock." A grunt and another yank at the tie. "We roll." A roar escaped his body as he ripped the tie from his neck. "We demolish them all!" He held the tie out in front of him and ripped it in half while releasing a guttural sound of triumph.

"Look at me, Emma." Emma didn't respond. She was watching the strange, lumbering man as he left the room. "He's not important, Emma, look at me." Emma blinked at the young woman. "Henry. He's your kid, right?" She nodded. "He's on this floor, isn't he?" She nodded again. "Do you want me to help you find him?" A third nod.

The young woman offered a hand. Emma took the hand, and again, all of her nerve endings reminded her of their existence far too strongly for their own good. Both women jerked away. The young woman blinked at Emma as she rubbed the previously proffered hand against her thigh. A nervous laugh bubbled from her lips.

"Um, maybe you should..."

Emma waved her off as she struggled to her feet. "You know what's going on?" She asked, finally finding her voice.

"I'm not from a place that has much magic, but I'm pretty sure magic just returned to everyone who controlled it before." She glanced at Emma. "And maybe some people who didn't." She wiggled her fingers. "Maybe everyone."

"I don't believe this. This is insane," Emma said as she limped out of the room and started down the hallway.

"Maybe you're the insane one."

Emma shot a look at her new companion. "What? You got a lot of nerve, kid."

"You're not the first to recognize that in me," she said with a bit of pride. "What I'm saying is that you're wasting your time denying something your senses so clearly tell you is true."

Suddenly, a bed pan came flying out of a nearby room. The duo past the room as an old nurse and a man in a hospital gown hurled insults and small balls of crackling energy at one another.

"Fine." Emma said. "Magic is real. Dragons are real. Evil Queens are real. In fact, I killed a dragon because the Evil Queen asked me to. It's all so very sane and so very real."

"I get it. I do. Magic is scary. I had a hard time accepting its existence too. But I did, and I learned that it's not always a bad thing. Not everyone's an evil queen and most people are good. You believe that at least, don't you?"

Emma shrugged. "I guess."

"The whole dragon killing thing. I'm not sure what you're talking about, but dragons definitely have a way of driving you crazy. The one I know is small and mostly doesn't need killing, but sometimes..."

The conversation was abruptly cut short as they approached Henry's room. It was empty.

"Oh, god. Where is he?" Emma asked no one in particular. Fear and desperation colored her voice.

A lone nurse sat on Henry's bed, slowly swaying, staring at her own hands. "Where is Henry?" Emma demanded of the nurse with an angry growl. The nurse didn't respond, didn't move. Emma grabbed her shoulders, ready to growl at her again, but then she noticed a vacant, hollow look in the woman's eyes. Emma grimaced and roughly let go of the woman. The motion dislodged her from the bed and cause her to slip to the floor. The expression on her face never changed.

Emma looked over at the young woman who had been helping her. Her expression was pleading, desperate.

"Ummm. Maybe the Queen took him?" It was the only thing she could come up with.

Emma's eyes narrowed. "Regina. Would she do that?"

"She's called The Evil Queen, right? So, yeah, probably. I read that she eats the hearts of babies on crackers with her afternoon tea."

"What? That's absurd. And you _read _it? Where? In the Fairytale tabloids?"

"Something like that."

Emma rolled her eyes and released a frustrated sigh. "She's not evil. I mean, maybe she's evil. Everyone's says she's evil, so maybe... but there's no baby eating! She's frustrating and rude, but evil? She raised Henry, and he turned out pretty well. Could she do that if she was evil? Mr. Gold. Now, he seems pretty evil, but what would be want with Henry?"

"You're rambling."

"You would be rambling too if this was happening to you."

"Probably. This world has really brought the ramble out in me. I blame television. Sweet, sweet television. It's truly the best part of..."

"I'm not a rambler." Emma interrupted. "I'm not rambling."

"If you say so."

"I do." She roughly straightened her jacket. "I need to find the mayor."

"The Queen," the young woman corrected. Emma shook her head and stalked out of the hospital room. The young woman eagerly followed. "Although, I suppose technically she still is the mayor since we're still in this world."

Before they had gotten very far down the hallway, a tall man dressed in a hospital gown in walked up to them and smiled. "The bitch will pay with her life," he said as if commenting positively on the weather.

"What bitch?" Emma asked even as her heart sank in her chest.

He tilted his head back and forth and raised his eyebrows dramatically. "The queen, of course. The daughter will kill the queen." He nodded vigorously. "I've been telling you that for years. The daughter will kill the queen. I know things like that. I know them. I've known them all along."

"What the _hell_ are you talking about?" Emma asked angrily.

"I get the feeling this dude is probably from the loony bin section of the hospital," the young woman said under her breath and grabbed Emma's arm. "Let's just back away slowly and get out of here"

Emma grabbed her arm back. "Listen here, if you think you can threaten people and get away with it, you have another thing coming. I'm still the sheriff of this town, and if anything happens to anyone, _especially_ the mayor, you'll be the first one I question." She poked the tall man's chest. "Hear me?"

"I hear the birds all day long," he said and smiled down at her.

"Emma! Come on. We're wasting time with this nutbag." She grabbed Emma's hand and pulled her back down the hallway. Emma reluctantly followed after giving the man one last look. He was standing still, staring out a window. Emma saw his lips moving, but no sound was escaping them.

"You better have heard me, you crazy fuck!" she yelled and pointed her finger at him one last time for good measure.

"Emma!" the young woman scolded with a loud whisper. "I'm all for being brave, but that was dangerous. That guy was big and clearly didn't have all of his marbles. You can't be that brazen in a world with magic. You'll be turned into a toad before the week is up."

Emma gritted her teeth. "I am the sheriff, and no one will die in my town." Her tone broached no argument. "And if you're going to follow me everywhere, you could at least tell me your name."

The young woman ran a nervous hand through her shaggy black hair. "Well, my name here is Megan."

"Your name here? So, what's your name in Fairytale Land? Cinderella? Goldilocks? The Old Lady in the Shoe? Hey, I know, I bet you're Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

"I don't look like any of those people. And if you're going to be like that, you don't need to know." She folded her arms. "My name is Megan."

Emma sighed as they exited the hospital's front doors. After their run-in with the crazy man, the building had been eerily empty and quiet as they made the rest of their way out. It added immeasurably to Emma's nervousness. "Look, I'm sorry. I'm still trying to deal with this, and I've never been very good at... dealing with things. Thank you, Megan, for your help in there."

Megan grinned at Emma and shrugged. "It's no big deal. Now, let's stop being such girls and find the mayor."

"You mean the Evil Queen, don't you?"

Megan shrugged. "She's had 28 years to mellow out. Maybe she's not so evil anymore?"

"I hope so, kid," Emma said as she climb into her squad car. "I really hope so."


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 2**

The short trip across town to the mayor's mansion was enough to make even the bravest of drivers never want to get behind the wheel of a car again. Emma had to slam on her brakes so many times to miss crazed pedestrians that she was tempted to abandon the squad car and just walk to her destination.

"I get the strange feeling they're all headed to the mayor's house."

"Yeah," Emma said distractedly. She was actively resisting the temptation to turn the squad car around, leave Storybrooke, and never look back. "Look at the clock."

Megan craned her neck to see it. It read 8:15. "Oh, no," she said softly. "It's way past 8:15, isn't it?"

Emma nodded. "Nine o'clock at least."

A man suddenly ran in front of the car. He carried a torch. Emma slammed the breaks on the car, narrowly missing him. He shouted an obscenity at the hood of the car, smacked it with his hand, and ran on. Emma gripped the steering wheel tightly and stared straight ahead. The squad car remained still.

"Emma, what are you doing?" No response. "Drive!" Megan shifted forward in her seat to grab Emma's attention. She waved her hand. "Hello?"

"I'm waiting for the person with the pitchfork to run in front of the car. There is one, right? There has to be one for a proper lynch mob to form."

Megan sighed. "Stop being such a baby, Emma. Fine. Maybe time stopped again, and maybe there's a lynch mob forming to kill the mayor, and maybe everyone's lost their mind, but you need to remember what's important. Henry is in trouble, and you might be the only person in the whole town who cares about his safety."

"Regina does too," Emma said quietly, still staring ahead.

"Well..." Megan balked for a moment, not expecting that response. "I mean, if that's what you believe, then you have even more reason to get to her and find out what happened with Henry." Emma blinked a few times. Finally, she took a deep breath and nodded, as if agreeing with herself, and the car began moving forward again.

"There better not be a lynch mob there," Emma said and raised a finger in warning, as if Megan could control the formation of lynch mobs.

"Oh, I'm sure there won't..." They turned the corner of the mayor's block and Megan's words were cut short. "Or, okay." She ran a hand through her hair. "Maybe there will be."

"I didn't sign up for this," Emma growled as the squad car slowed to a stop.

"As someone great once said, 'Look inside yourself. You are more than what you have become.'"

Emma rolled her eyes, and stepped angrily out of the squad car. With one swift movement, she opened her gun's holster, pulled out the gun, and fired a shot into the air.

As if someone sucked all the oxygen from the sky, the crowd became fiercely quiet. With an almost singular motion, they all turned to look at her. Their stares were angry but expectant.

The sudden silence pleased the now very angry Emma Swan. She reached a hand into her squad car and grabbed the microphone from car's PA system.

"In case any of you don't remember who I am," she began into the microphone, "I am the sheriff of this town."

"You're not my sheriff!"

"If you live in Storybrooke, I _am_ your sheriff." Emma said forcefully. "You all live here, correct?"

"I live in Sherwood Forest," a large woman said with an unusual amount bravado. "It is an outrage to think..."

Emma held up her hand and began talking over the woman. "Ma'am, I hate to disappoint you, but you live in Storybrooke, Maine. Please, feel free to go home if you live somewhere else."

The woman pursed her lips and made a loud huffing noise.

"Now that we all agree," Emma continued, "I'd like you all to go home. Now." She lowered the microphone and leaned against the side of the squad car as a cacophony of angry protests began. She folded her arms and focused her attention on a small bird that sat on a low branch of a nearby tree. The bird tilted its head at her. She tilted her head back. She allowed the protests to continue until the bird flew away. The moment it was out of sight, she pulled her gun from its holster and shot into the air a second time.

"As much as I'd love to hear all of your justifications for being here today, there will be no lynching of the mayor, or anyone else for that matter. Not as long as I'm sheriff."

The protests began again, but Emma cut them short this time.

"You all believe in this curse, correct?"

"Of course, Sheriff. Don't be daft; it's the reason we're here."

"And you all believe that the curse hasn't fully been broken yet, correct?"

Murmurs of agreement came from the crowd.

"But you're not home yet, so you're probably still cursed. At least a little, correct?"

More murmurs of agreement.

Now that she had everyone's attention, Emma dropped the microphone into the front seat of the squad car. "Okay, so let me ask you this," she restarted in a loud, but amplification-free voice. "What happens if Regina Mills dies? She cast the curse, right? What if her death means the curse can never be broken? What if her death means you're all stuck in this town forever?" She gestured toward town square. "With that clock stuck forever at eight fifteen. Without the ability to _ever_ leave this place."

"That's nonsense," said an old woman who grasped knitting needles tightly in her left hand. "The curse can only be broken by true love's kiss. The pure evil in the queen guarantees she will never taste true love's kiss. Even if she lives a thousand lives."

"Are you an expert on this curse?" Emma questioned.

"Well, no. But it is told..."

"By who? Where?"

The woman hesitated. "Well, you know, in the stories... the histories and prophecies."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Have you ever been the target of a curse before?"

"Well, no, but..."

"I have," shouted a young woman near the back of the crowd.

"Okay, and how did that curse break? True love's kiss?"

"Yes," she nodded and grinned broadly.

"And did you, at any point during your curse, become only a little cursed?"

"Well, no, but..."

"Has anyone else experienced a curse like this before?"

The crowd remained silent.

"Alright, then, until we learn otherwise, I want you all to assume an attack on Regina Mills is an attack on your own happiness. Your queen might have stolen your lives, made you miserable, stopped time, made pigs fly... Hell, right now, I don't even care if she ate your babies with hot sauce. If the mayor did something against the law, it is _my_ duty to bring her to justice. Not yours. None of you have any right to attack her in her home. You might have solved things with swords and torches and pitchforks in the past, but this is America. In America, we don't solve our problems like backwoods barbarians." She spit out the last word with undisguised disgust.

The large man that Emma remembered as the tie ripper from the hospital came charging out of the crowd at her. She held her ground and pointed her gun at him.

Before she could warn him to stay back, there was a loud bang and a cloud of black smoke appeared. The large man hit the cloud and bounced off of it like it was brick wall. He yelped in pain and fell backwards.

When the smoke cloud faded, Mr. Gold, in all of his smug glory, was revealed. The crowd hushed and immediately began dispersing, several of them running like a demon was hot on their heels. Others meandered off in groups, whispering quietly to each other, giving Emma and Gold sideways glances as they went.

"Hello, Ms. Swan. That was such a lovely speech. I fear you insulted the barbarian just a smidgen at the end, but overall, a performance worthy of applause." The cadence of Gold's voice was a bit sharper and faster than Emma remembered.

Emma holstered her gun once more and glanced into her squad car. Megan was gone.

"What do you want, Gold? I have things to take care of, and you're low on the list right now."

He looked around dramatically. "What could be more important than me, Miss Swan? The crowd's gone. Your mayor's safe." He bared his teeth in a way that didn't remind Emma of a smile at all. "For now, anyway. So what else could there be?"

"As much as I appreciate you dumping a metaphorical pail of water onto the crowd's head, I was fine." Emma shook her head as she once more tried to grasp the idea that the town had formed a lynch mob. They used to be such nice, peaceful people. "I didn't expected lynch mob to be here when I showed up, but I did have everything under control."

"Oh? Then perhaps you had other intentions when you set out for our dear mayor's home today?" His face was suddenly filled with exaggerated curiosity.

"I'm not going to ask you again, Mr. Gold, what do you want?"

Gold raised an eyebrow and bared his teeth again, but before he could respond, he was interrupted by the sound of Regina Mills' voice.

"Miss Swan, you do realize you're going to have to fill out a lot of paperwork to explain why you discharged your firearm twice today."

Emma blinked several times in Regina's direction. "Seriously?"

"The sheriff's office is very small, as you well know, and its the mayor's duty to ensure everything is properly handled."

Emma narrowed her eyes and began walking toward Regina. "One, I don't think that's actually the mayor's duty. Two, I saved your ass with those shots! Those people wanted you dead and had every intention of following through." She threw her hands up into the air. "Unless, of course, Madam Mayor, you wanted to deal with them yourself? I keep hearing about you and how strong and evil your magic is. Why didn't you just turn them all into toads?"

Regina folded her arms and took a step toward Emma. They were mere inches apart.

"You don't know _anything_ about me, Sheriff," she hissed.

"I know that you took Henry from his hospital room."

Regina furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and reeled back a bit. "I did nothing of the sort."

"Then where is he?"

"What do you mean 'where is he?' I left him with you." She looked wildly toward Emma's squad car and back again. "He should be with you!"

"I tried to find him after that big purple..." Emma waved her hands through the air, "thing appeared, but he was gone. His nurse was messed up in the head or something, like she'd been lobotomized."

Regina blinked at Emma. "No." She shook her head dismissively. "I left him with you. You were to protect him, Miss Swan. I trusted that you would protect him."

"How can I protect him when you're always getting in the way?"

"I do not get in the way," Regina protested, using mocking air quotes around the words "get in the way."

"As much as I'd _love_ to see where this is going, ladies, I'm afraid I must interrupt."

Both woman turned on Gold.

"What?" they barked at him nearly in unison.

He mockingly held his hands up as if to protect himself. "As you know, I'm a gentle man who wants nothing but the best for everyone."

"Cut the crap, Gold."

He released a high-pitched laugh. "Oh, dear me, you ladies really are entertaining. Well, then, I suppose I'll just cut to the chase."

"Please do," Regina said. "As I'm sure you overheard, I have business with the sheriff."

"Would you like the good news or the bad news?" he asked.

"I'm warning you Gold," Emma said as took a step toward him, her hand on her gun holster.

He held up his hands again. "Good news it is!" He tilted his head and leaned in conspiratorially. "I know where Henry is." He leaned back again, a proud look on his face.

"If you have him, I swear to you I _will_ end you," Regina said through gritted teeth.

"Oh no, _I_ don't have him. What would _I_ do with him? My house is far too small." He spread his hands apart. "In fact, there's barely any room at all. No, no, he's in a far... larger place."

"Where?"

"Oh, I doubt I could tell you _exactly_ where he is."

Emma angrily ripped her gun from the holster and held it up to Mr. Gold's chin. "So help me, Gold, if you don't stop playing games with us."

Regina laid a hand on Emma's arm. "I don't think gun play is the best course of action right now, Miss Swan, do you?"

"For once, I think the good mayor is right," Mr. Gold said, his face darkening. "I have information you need about your beloved son." He spit out the words "beloved son" like they were maggots invading his mouth. "Shooting me would definitely _not_ be in your best interests."

Emma glanced down at the hand on her arm. Its presence brought her back to her senses with the force of falling ocean liner anchor.

She took two steps back, holstered the gun, and steadied herself. "You will tell me where Henry is. Right now, or else." She sputtered. "Or else, I'll... I'll arrest you for kidnapping."

"How much does it mean to you?"

Emma threw up her arms and let out a cry of frustration. "Fine! You're under arrest." She grabbed for her handcuffs. "You have the right to remain..."

"I will owe you, Rumpelstiltskin." Regina interrupted. "I will owe you. That's what you want, isn't it? Anything you want. Just tell me where my son is."

"Oh, how I was hoping you'd say that," he said, a delighted grin plastered onto his face. "Henry is..." he hopped on his toes and leaned forward. "Are you ready for it?" Both women gave him a death glare. "Henry is in Wonderland!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** Sorry this chapter was so slow coming out, I had a crazy week and then stumbled into a bit of writer's block. I think I'm past it now. :) Hope you like the story!

**CHAPTER 3**

"You son of a bitch!" Regina howled and lunged for Gold. Before she was able to reach him, he blinked out of existence only to appear again under a nearby tree.

"There's no need to get excited, Your Majesty." He straightened his jacket and raised a finger in warning. "I expect you'll need an even temper if you wish to ever find your son"

Regina growled and took off toward Gold again.

"What the hell is going on?" Emma demanded. "What do you mean Henry's in Wonderland?"

Gold lazily raised one hand and Regina flew backwards several feet. Emma sprinted forward and caught her just before she crashed to the ground.

"What is it that you don't understand, Miss Swan? Hmm? The part about Henry being in Wonderland. Or... " Gold laughed softly to himself. "Oh, dear. Don't tell me you've never heard of Wonderland. You do know how to read, don't you?"

"Of course." Emma rolled her eyes impatiently. "Of course I've heard of it, but..."

"And you've met Jefferson, have you not? I assume he told you a bit about his lovely former home. He and that place seem to have been made for each other." He turned to Regina. "Don't you think so, Your Highness?"

"Son of a bitch!" Regina spit out again. She attempted to lunge toward Gold again, but this time Emma grabbed her from behind and held her back.

"How did he get to Wonderland?" demanded Emma around the struggling mayor. "I was only away from him for a few minutes. There was no way..."

"There's always a way, Miss Swan."

"Just as there would be way for me to rip your heart from your chest," Regina growled. "If only you had one."

"You should be grateful I'm here at all, Regina." His voice abruptly took on a menacing tone. "I could have let you wallow in grief, never knowing if he was alive or dead." His anger was so palpable, so fierce, it seemed to swirl behind his eyes. "But that's more your style than mine, isn't it?"

"I regret nothing," Regina replied, disgust filling her voice. "You're a heartless wretch who deserves nothing. Nothing but your own wretched life." She wildly kicked a foot in Gold's direction. "Nothing!"

He sighed dramatically and touched his chest. "You hurt me, my dear."

"You already have what you wanted, Rumpelstiltskin." She grimaced at the feel of his name on her tongue. "I owe you. Now tell me how to find Henry, or get the _hell_ off my lawn."

"A little birdie told me the White Rabbit knows a little something about Wonderland," Gold replied, his eyes never leaving Regina's. "Perhaps you should talk to him about it."

"You know that's impossible!"

"Anything's possible, Your Majesty," he said sharply and leaned forward. "You know that more than anyone. Now, ladies, I really must bid you farewell. I have someone waiting for me." He laughed impishly and snapped his fingers. A puff of smoke appeared, and he was gone.

"You can let go of me now, Miss Swan," Regina said angrily after several moments passed and Emma was still holding onto her with the desperate grasp of a frightened child. "Unless, of course, your intention is to permanently cut off the circulation in my arms?"

Emma instantly loosened her grasp and took a step back. "I'm sorry. I didn't..."

"What you didn't do is of absolutely no consequence, Miss Swan. What you will do is drive me to the hospital."

Regina marched off to the squad car and began getting in when she noticed Emma standing there, staring blankly at the spot Gold had last stood. She angrily thumped the roof of the car with her fist to get the other woman's attention.

Emma swiveled her head toward the sound. Suddenly, the shock of the situation faded and she felt a rush of anger and worry.

"Henry's not at the hospital. I told you; he wasn't in his bed. What are we going to do? Why would Gold do something like this?"

"Obviously, he's not at the hospital, Miss Swan. You really are so very frustrating," Regina said, her voice filled with aggravation. "Get in the car. _Now_."

"But..."

"No!" Regina thumped the roof again, unconcerned with small dent she left behind. "We don't have the luxury of standing here all day while you try to wrap your tiny brain around the situation. Henry's in danger, and I can't save him alone, so you're coming with me. That's all you need to know right now. Just get in the goddamn car!"

Emma shrugged dramatically. "Fine." She held up a finger. "But I expect an explanation on the way."

Once they were on the road, Emma glanced over at Regina. Her brow was furrowed, and her arms were wrapped tightly around her midsection.

"Keep your eyes on the road, Miss Swan," she muttered, eyes never leaving the road ahead of them.

"Explain to me why we're going to the hospital."

"We need to see the White Rabbit." Regina ran a hand through her hair and sighed.

"Why is there a rabbit at the hospital?"

"He's not actually a rabbit. He's a man, but..." she paused and made a small gesture with her hand, as if rationalizing it to herself as well, "he's also a rabbit."

"I see."

"You do?"

"No! Of course not, Regina. What the hell? There's a rabbit at the hospital who is a man but also a rabbit and he's actually the White Rabbit from the Alice in Wonderland stories."

"The White Rabbit is from Wonderland. It's a world that existed long before and has existed long after that foolish Alice girl blundered down the rabbit hole."

"How is he a man, but also a rabbit?"

"The White Rabbit was..." Regina released a labored breath as she tried to think of the right word. "Born, I suppose you could say, in Wonderland. The rabbit hole..." She shifted in her seat uncomfortably. "It moves now. It's impossible to know where it is at any given time. The White Rabbit is the only one in our world who can show us where it is."

"And I'm guessing that we'll need to go down the rabbit hole to find Henry," Emma said with a sense of foreboding.

"I'm impressed by your powers of deduction, Miss Swan," Regina said, but couldn't muster up much bite to her words.

"What about Jefferson? Doesn't his hat get you into Wonderland, or whatever?" Emma shook her head in a physical attempt to shut up the little voice in her head that was insisting she'd lost her mind.

"Jefferson's hat brings you to the Looking Glass, but the Queen of Hearts monitors that entrance. We'd have less than an hour before her guards captured us."

"Doesn't the Evil Queen trump the Queen of Hearts?" Emma asked with a small smile.

Regina looked at Emma for the first time since they got in the car. "If you think I'm evil, you haven't even started to understand what evil is."

"I only know what I've heard. I mean, there was a lynch mob at your house. I'm pretty sure you're no saint."

"Neither are you," she responded defensively.

"I never said I was, but I don't have a whole town that wants me dead."

"First of all, half the things these people believe are highly exaggerated or misunderstood. Second, these people are from Fairytale Land. A world where everyone's story ends with, 'And they lived happily ever after.' And now they're in America, the land of the free, in a town with no crime, no litter, a mayor who cares..." Regina folded her arms. "If you ask me, they're a bunch of selfish brats."

"I think there might be a few flaws in your logic," Emma said with a small, disbelieving laugh.

"Perhaps." She folded her arms tighter. "But it's not like they're living in a hell world like Wonderland."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Emma said as they pulled to a stop in the parking lot of the hospital. Regina began fumbling with the door latch.

"Open this door right now, Miss Swan."

"You never said Wonderland was a _hell_ world. Henry's in a _hell_ world?" Her words became frantic. "What does that even mean?"

"It means that the Queen of Hearts has poisoned her world. During her reign, Wonderland has evolved... or I guess I should say, devolved, into pure madness. Everyone and everything there is mad. Far more mad than anything you ever read about it your silly little Alice books. Most are harmless, but there are some, the ones closest to the queen, who are violent and horrible. We need to get to Henry before the Queen of Hearts' minions find him. If she finds him..." Regina's voice trailed off.

Emma unlocked the door. "Damnit, Regina. Why didn't you say so? Get out of the car!"

Regina emerged from the car and thumped her fist on the roof again, attempting to funnel all of her frustration at Emma through her fist. "At least I don't have to worry about Wonderland driving me mad, you've already taken on the task quite competently."

Emma shook her head and grabbed Regina's arm. She pushed her toward the hospital's door. Regina muttered something about manhandling, but Emma ignored her. "At least I won't have a lot of work to do. You're already pretty insane if you ask me."

They passed through the doors. Regina flew down the hallways with Emma hot on her trail. "Oh, that's rich coming from you."

"What do you mean? I'm not insane."

Regina glanced over her shoulder. "If you say so, Miss Swan."

"I'm not!" Emma protested as Regina stopped at a door secured by a keypad lock. She punched in a sequence of numbers, and the door clicked open. As they passed through the door, Regina raised a finger to her lips. Emma nodded. The argument over their relative insanities was quietly forgotten.

They moved slowly down the stairs. Emma wasn't sure why they were being cautious, but the worried look on Regina's normally stoic face was enough scare the crap out of her.

When they reached the nurse's station, Regina held up a hand. Emma stopped and watched as Regina tip-toed around an unconscious nurse and grabbed a small silver key. Regina seemed to relax once she had the key, and she hurried on. Emma followed her down the corridor.

After passing several silent doors, they came upon an intersection in the hallway. Once again, Regina held up a hand and Emma paused. She took a breath to brace herself and stepped into the intersection. She raised bother her hands and Emma watched as bright, crackling waves of what looked like electricity emanated from her palms in both directions.

"Regina!" Emma said and ran forward to grab Regina as she fell to her knees. "What the hell was that?"

An out-of-breath Regina attempted to make her tone as condescending as possible. "If you'd use your eyes, Miss Swan." She swallowed and gasped for a breath. "You'd see I cleared the way for us."

Emma looked to the right. A large, shirtless man lay limply on the ground. Her mouth fell open and she swiveled her head to the left. Another large man with long brown hair lay limply in much the same manner.

"How did you know?"

"I trained them. They were my guards."

"Not very loyal guards." Emma muttered as she looked down at Regina who was still leaning against her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Regina struggled to sit up, but Emma's arms held her back. "I would appreciate it if you would let me go, Miss Swan. I'm starting to think you're doing this on purpose."

"You wish," Emma muttered and shoved Regina away. "Excuse me for trying to help."

Regina stood and brushed off the sleeves of her jacket. "Thank you for your help." She said curtly. "I'm not used to the type of magic Gold released. I can't control it very well."

Regina led them down the left corridor. As they passed, Emma poked the unconscious man with her foot. "Is he going to..."

"He'll be fine. And I'm afraid it will be sooner rather than later. Let's go. We're almost there."

When they entered the White Rabbit's cell, Emma saw a middle-aged man with stark white hair and pale skin. At the sight of the two women, he hopped onto his bed and huddled in the corner.

"What's wrong with him? He's shaking like a leaf," Emma said softly.

Regina closed her eyes for a brief moment and took a deep breath.

"Hello, Henry," she said gently as she moved into the room, toward the man on the bed. He redoubled his efforts to get as far into the corner as possible. "I'm not here to hurt you. I promise." He shook his head wildly and swatted at the air in front of him. Despite his wild movements, he remained silent. Emma couldn't even hear his breathing.

"I'm so sorry for this, Henry. I never meant to hurt you." She knelt on one knee beside the bed before she continued. "You know I didn't mean for things to end up this way. Can you ever forgive me?"

The man's body relaxed a bit, and he tilted his head. Regina peered at him with a cautiously hopeful look in her eye.

Suddenly, his eyes grew hard, and he raised his lip in disgust. He clearly mouthed the word "never" and swiftly hopped off the bed. He escaped the room before either woman was able to stop him.

"Follow him!" Regina barked as she scrambled to her feet. Emma instantly took off running.

_**Author's Note: You're probably confused right now. Don't worry, I'll explain most things in the next bit.**_


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 4

Emma and Regina followed the man with the white hair through the corridors of the hospital.

"Where's he going?" Emma called over her shoulder to Regina. She was out of breath and tired. It had been a very long, very confusing day, and Emma wanted it to end. She wanted her son back and her laundry list of questions answered. Instead, things kept getting more confusing and tiring.

"How should I know?" Regina replied as she lifted a hand and pointed past Emma. "He's turning! Don't lose him!"

Emma skidded around the corner and sprinted forward as she saw the man bounding out a door that led outside. Once in the open air, both women were relieved to see they hadn't lost their prey. In fact, he seemed to be doing nothing to attempt to lose them. He was running out in the open, toward the tree line in the distance.

"You're lucky I work out." Emma grumbled between gasps for air. "Why are we following him? Why did you call him Henry? That better not be some sort of evil cursed version of my son."

"Henry is _my_ son, and that..." She pointed at the man running in front of them, "is _clearly_ a different Henry. I'd love to sit down to tea with you and explain it all, but I'm afraid we don't have the time for it right now."

"I don't need tea! I need answers." She began swatting away tree branches as they headed into the woods.

"He's the person who will lead us to Henry. And, like I told you earlier, he's the White Rabbit. That's all you need right now, Sheriff." She stumbled over a fallen log. Emma reached out and steadied Regina as she did her best to regain her footing without slowing their pace too much. "Unless you want to miss out on the only way we're ever going to find Henry?"

Emma frowned, realizing Regina was right. The questions could wait. "Come on." She took a deep breath and pushed her legs as fast as they would take her.

A good five minutes of chasing followed before the women watched the white-haired man enter a house which was remarkably nice for being in the middle of the woods. Regina signaled that Emma should stop running and both women paused to catch their breath.

The lawn around the house was beautifully manicured. Flowers and well-trimmed shrubs lined white stone covered pathways which led in various directions around the house. In the driveway, there sat a Range Rover and a small, very expensive looking red sports car.

"Whose house is this?" Emma asked once she had control of her breathing again.

"I'm not sure." Regina looked puzzled as she looked around. "It couldn't be anyone very important, or I would have known..."

"Not important? I'm hurt! I consider myself quite important." Both women spun toward an enthusiastic voice that came from the backyard of the house. "I'm a dragon, after all! We're very important." A thin, small man with bright red hair walked toward them. He punctuated his words with a great deal of exaggerated hand and arm movement. "Well, I was a dragon. I guess I'm a person now, but I still consider myself a dragon and we are _very_ important. You know, with all of the fire breathing and everything."

"We need access to the rabbit hole," Regina said. She took little notice of the small man and started walking toward the backdoor of the house.

"Why... uhhh... Whatever are you talking about?" He bounded in front of her and stopped her progress before she could reach the door. "No rabbit hole here! Nope. No holes at all. Maybe some donut holes, which you are welcome to, of course, but no rabbit holes."

Emma extended her hand toward the man. "I don't think we've met. I'm Emma Swan. I'm the sheriff, and we..."

The man smiled and shook her hand vigorously. "Oh! It's so good to meet you! My name is Mushu. I've heard a lot about you today, Sheriff! Mulan hasn't stopped talking about you since she got..."

"Mulan?" Emma asked skeptically.

"Where are you, Mushu? We have a problem in here," yelled a female voice from inside the house.

"Outside!" Mushu yelled back. He stuck his head in the door and lowered his voice. "We have bigger problems out here. The Evil Queen and your sexy sheriff want to see the rabbit hole."

"We can still hear you," Regina said impatiently and attempted to grab the door out of Mushu's grasp. "Our son is in danger, and we need access to the rabbit hole to find him. I need you to stop wasting my time, dragon."

A young woman appeared in the doorway, and pulled it open. "It's okay, Mushu. We also have a certain _white_ visitor, if you know who I mean." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "Downstairs at the you-know-what."

"Uh oh. He's here?" He tugged at his hair. "Okay. I'll talk to him," he finished and disappeared inside the house.

"Megan?" Emma asked.

"Hey, Emma. I guess you can call me Mulan if you want. Cat's out of the bag, isn't it?" She ran her fingers through her hair and nervously chuckled. "So, you want to see the rabbit hole?"

"We need to do more than just see it," Regina said. "Henry's down there."

"Wow. That's not good."

"I really am surrounded by geniuses here, aren't I?" Regina said and attempted to push the door open again.

"Okay. Jeez. Calm down. I'll show you the way," Mulan said and ushered them into the house.

"_Our_ son?" Emma said quietly to Regina as they passed down a hallway.

Regina pursed her lips. "People are far more willing to help you than me. I was simply using your association with him to my benefit."

Emma rolled her eyes and continued quietly until they reached the basement of the house. It looked like every other basement Emma had ever seen: a bit cluttered, filled with boxes, a washer and dryer in one corner. The only thing that was different was a single corner where the concrete floor gave way to dark soil which surrounded a large, black hole. Mushu and the white-haired man were gesturing passionately to each other near the edge of it. The second the white-haired man saw Regina, he made a final gesture toward Mushu and jumped into the hole.

"Hey!" Mushu said with annoyance. "I wasn't done saying goodbye."

"What is this place?" Regina asked as she walked tentatively toward the hole in the corner. "Has the rabbit hole been here all along?"

"Twenty-eight years," Mushu said proudly. "I've been guarding it since day I found out about it." He took a few steps toward Regina. "Did you know your curse didn't work on me? Well, it didn't work on my mind. Worked on my body pretty well. You could have made me a bit taller, you know. And smaller ears would have been nice."

Mulan stepped in. "What he's saying is, for some reason the curse didn't effect him like the rest of us. We've always assumed it's because he's a dragon. I didn't remember anything until earlier today, but well..." She shrugged. "I guess I just always believed him when he'd tell stories about our other lives."

"How did you know about this?" Emma asked, gesturing toward the hole.

"We both work at the hospital. When we first met the White Rabbit, he was desperate to communicate. He seemed so sad and lonely in that room, all by himself and unable to talk. He never had any visitors, and there was such a heavy guard patrol on him. We were pretty much the only ones allowed in to see him and we felt bad, so Mushu and I learned sign language, and we taught it to him in return. He told us about the hole to Wonderland, and begged us to make sure no one would stumble onto it. We built the house around it to protect it."

Mushu raised a finger toward Regina. "And he told me all about you. I'm not impressed. Some of the things you've done... It's all very unqueenly if you ask me." He backed off a bit. "Although, with that mother of yours..."

"No one asked you," Regina interrupted. "We're wasting a great deal of time here. We need to go down as soon as possible."

"Wait... whoa. We need to go down there?" Emma asked, fear creeping into her voice. It was a _very _dark hole. So dark it seemed to be ingesting the light of the basement, making the area seem dimmer the longer they stood there. "Can't you just conjure him up to the surface or something?"

"Do you want Henry back or not, Miss Swan?"

"Of course, but..."

"Then we have to go down there." She turned to Mulan. "Do you have flashlights we could borrow? I believe we'll be needing them."

"Check!" Mulan said and took off up the stairs.

Regina watched her leave. When she was gone, she turned to Mushu. "How did Henry get down the rabbit hole, Dragon?" Her voice was low and menacing.

"My name is Mushu, not Dragon. And how would I know?" Betraying his words, he nervously took a few steps back.

Regina followed him, backing him up against a wall. "You made a deal with Rumpelstiltskin, didn't you?"

"Uh, no." He attempted an innocent smile. "Wha... What would make you think that?"

"Mulan, your friend. Your best friend, right? Somehow, just magically, she believed a story about her actually being a war hero in ancient China, and you actually being a dragon?"

"Well, yes? What's so unbelievable about that?" he asked and released a nervous laugh.

"I don't buy it either, Mushu," Emma said as she edged near the hole, trying to see anything in the darkness. "Henry couldn't convince anyone no matter how hard he tried."

"Fine." He shrugged dramatically and sighed. "How was I supposed to know it would end up this way? I figured I'd get Mulan back, and all I have to do is talk to some guy in the hospital and guard a hole. It seemed like a small price to pay to get my best friend back."

"There's never a small price when it comes to that monster. Who brought Henry here?"

"How do you know Henry came through here? The White Rabbit said there were other portals to Wonderland. Hats and mirrors and whatnot. Maybe he stumbled into a magical dollhouse or ate a magical cheeseburger."

Regina frowned and looked down at the hole. "This is the only way that makes any sense. Don't you have security in this place?"

"We have the best security money can buy but..." He fidgeted nervously. "Mulan was at the hospital, and I was asleep."

"Asleep?"

"I sleep during the day because I work night shift at the hospital, and I had the security system on high alert. If someone was in here, they knew how to bypass the security. When I woke up, it was fully engaged."

"How could you afford the best security system money can buy?" Regina asked distractedly. She didn't even care at this point. She knew Gold was behind everything.

"Mr. Gold he..." His face fell as he realized the truth. Gold had supplied the security system, and almost certainly knew a way to disarm it.

"That's all I needed to know, Dragon," Regina said and looked toward the stairs as she heard the sound of Mulan returning.

"I found a flashlight and a lantern, and I refilled the fuel in the lantern." She held up a large Maglite flashlight and a camping lantern.

"I suppose they'll do. Thank you, Mulan." Regina said curtly and grabbed the flashlight. Mulan smiled sheepishly at Emma and handed her the lantern and a box of wooden matches.

"Light the lantern and take my hand, Miss Swan."

Emma bent down and sparked a matched. "Are you certain we need to do this, Regina? There really isn't any other way? It's super dark down there. And... don't we need a ladder or something?"

"Aren't you supposed to be the brave one? The White Knight?"

"That's what Henry tells me."

"Then it must be true," Regina said and reached her hand out to Emma. Emma looked at the hand like it was made of spiders and scorpions. Regina sighed impatiently. "If we don't fall down the rabbit hole together, we might end up in very different places. Just take my hand, Miss Swan. I promise I won't bite."

Emma reluctantly took her hand. "I don't like the idea of this whole falling thing. Maybe a ladder..."

"Do you think I'd be doing this if I thought for a moment we'd fall to our deaths down there? We need to find Henry, and this is the only way."

"Fine."

Regina pulled Emma to the edge of the hole and paused there. "Ready, White Knight?" Regina asked. Her words were quieter and far less sarcastic than she had intended.

Emma squeezed Regina's hand. "Ready."

And with that, they both took a deep breath and stepped over the edge.


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 5**

Regina's hand was actively being crushed, and she didn't enjoy it one bit.

"Miss Swan, do you think you could please stop crushing my hand?"

"No," Emma said in return and continued crushing Regina's hand.

"It's really not that frightening. We're actually falling at a surprisingly slow rate. It used to be much faster," Regina said as she shined her flashlight around them. An array of random objects hovered in the air around them. She noticed a small clock that was on a collision course with Emma's head. "You should also open your eyes before you get hit by something," she said just as the clock hit Emma's head.

Emma yelped and pulled Regina closer to her, attempting to use her as a makeshift shield. "What the hell is this place?" Her eyes were wide open and darted around wildly.

Regina rolled her eyes and tried to extricate herself from Emma's grip. "I thought you read Alice in Wonderland."

"I did but..." Emma saw a flash of steel from the corner of her eye. "Watch out!" She dropped the camping lantern and shoved Regina as far as she could without unlinking their hands. She lunged toward the sword and pulled it from its trajectory. It looked remarkably like the sword she'd used to fight the dragon earlier that day. In fact, it looked_ exactly_ like that sword. "I don't remember Alice needing to dodge weapons as she fell."

Emma looked over, expecting to see a grateful Regina, but she didn't find one. Instead, Regina looked royally pissed off.

"Miss Swan, I believe you need to learn a few ground rules of Wonderland."

"I saved you from this sword!" Emma said in disbelief and held the sword up.

"I think I could have handled a slow moving slab of wood, Sheriff."

Emma's mouth fell open as she noticed that the sword was now nothing more than a stick, crudely fashioned into a toy sword. She pushed it out of her hand in surprise and watched with amazement as it floated away from them. "How did that..."

"First rule of Wonderland," Regina interrupted. "Never trust anything that looks familiar. This world will take your memories and use them to its own benefit."

"You make it sound like the world has a brain... a mind-reading brain"

Regina nodded. "It's best if you believe that and treat it as such. Second rule," she shoved the lantern back into Emma's hand. "Don't drop that again. You'll need light more than you'll need anything else here."

"Wait. Let's go back to the whole world-has-a-mind-reading-brain thing. _What?_"

Regina sighed and clenched her jaw in annoyance. "I'd rather not tell you this story, Miss Swan. Unfortunately, is in both of our best interests that you be fully informed."

Regina extended her foot and pushed away a small, fully-decorated nightstand before they fell into it. As they passed it, she gently touched a white stuffed bear which sat upright next to a small child's lamp. "You see that stuffed bear? I named her Emily when I was 4 years old."

"How is that possible?"

"You know how some kids have slides and sandboxes in their backyards?"

"Sure."

"Well, I had Wonderland instead."

Emma's mouth fell open. "What do you mean? How?"

"My mother created it. She was..." She shook her head and wrapped her free arm around her stomach. "She _is_ very powerful. I come from a long line of powerful witches. It's where my mother gets her power." Emma noticed a flash of pain in Regina's eyes as she continued. "It's where I get my power, too."

"That makes sense." Emma shrugged and nodded. "Today, anyway. Last week, not so much. And let me guess, you're from the wicked side of the witch family tree?"

"I appreciate your desire to make light of me and my life, Miss Swan, but we don't have time for it right now."

Emma thought she picked up on the briefest hint of hurt in Regina's voice."I wasn't making fun of you," she replied. "I'm sorry. I guess humor as a defense mechanism runs in my family like magic runs in yours."

"Yes. Well..." Regina said in reply and busied herself with adjusting her jacket.

Emma laughed despite herself and the entire situation. "You really are off your game today, aren't you, Regina Mills?"

Regina looked up sharply. "Miss Swan, if you do recall, we're falling down a _rabbit_ hole and soon we will be landing in a world that can only be described as more horrible than your worst nightmare. My son is lost in there somewhere. He's alone, confused, and scared... and that's if he's lucky. So, yes, I _am_ off my game and you'll excuse me if I'm lacking in the usual sardonic wit to which you've become accustomed."

Emma suddenly busted into a fit of giggles.

"This is entirely inappropriate," Regina said and looked away from the giggling woman.

"I know," Emma said through the giggles. "But you..." She took a deep breath to settle herself. "You said sardonic." She was laughing so hard she could barely get the words out.

"What is so funny about that?" Regina asked with aggravation.

"I don't know!" Emma exclaimed through the laughter and awkwardly wiped a tear from her eye despite her grasp on the lantern. She lifted their entwined hands. "And we're holding hands. You just gotta find this funny on some level." Regina shook her head and abruptly looked away again. "Oh my god! You're laughing too!" Emma said around the giggles and nudged the other woman in the side.

"I am not."

"Look at me." Regina pursed her lips and shook her head. "I dare you to look at me, Regina Mills."

Never one to back down from a challenge, Regina looked over at the giggling Emma Swan, and a small laugh escaped her lips. "So inappropriate!" she said sharply and looked away.

"You should do that more often, you know," Emma said after a few moments, her laughter finally dying down. "Your smile's amazing."

Regina rolled her eyes again and said, "We need to get back to business, Miss Swan. There's a lot more you need to know."

"Oh, look at that. Somebody's blushing," Emma said in a sing-song voice.

"Enough," Regina said, anger creeping into her voice. "You act like finding Henry isn't important. His well-being is not something to laugh about. More than ever, I'm extremely glad you didn't have a hand in actually raising him. He'd probably be dead by now."

Emma's face fell and her eyes went hard. "I am having the most impossible day of my entire life. My son died today, then he came back to life, and now I have no idea where he is. I killed a _dragon _today. Do you know how a normal person would handle that? They wouldn't. They'd crawl up in a ball and start muttering incoherent things until someone locked them up in a padded cell. I'm doing my best here. In fact, I'm doing far better than I ever dreamed my best could be. You just told me your mother created an entire _world_. How am I supposed to react to that?"

"With a little more aplomb," Regina replied, her eyes focused on a painting that drifted past.

"Screw you, Regina."

"You wish," she muttered and glanced at Emma out of the corner of her eye. When their eyes met, Regina raised her eyebrows and chanced a small smile in the hopes of signaling a truce.

Emma shook her head and smiled despite herself. "Just tell me the rest of the story before we get to the bottom and monsters eat us."

"My mother created Wonderland before I was born. I never found out why she created it, but I always felt it was for reasons larger than just her wanting me to have the greatest playground ever created. When I was very young she'd join me here, and we would play together..." She closed her eyes for a briefest of moments and a tiny smile played on her lips. "But those days didn't last. Eventually, she started sending me to Wonderland. At any given moment she would order me to come here, not allowing me to return home until she came for me. I used to think it was because she didn't want me around, or had more important things to do than put up with me. But the way things turned out..." She sighed and tilted her head up, looking at all the objects that floated away above them. "I really don't know much of anything anymore."

Emma studied Regina's face as she spoke. She looked tired and sad. Her makeup was fading, and Emma could see the hint of dark circles beneath her eyes. She tried to imagine this very human looking woman as a wicked queen and failed. "Sounds like there was more to it?" Emma replied a bit lamely.

"She's the only one who knows, and she won't be telling me any time soon."

"Where is your mother? What happened to her?"

"That's very much _not_ a part of this conversation," Regina replied sharply and gave Emma a look that warned her not to continue.

"Okay. So, anyway..." Emma said, lacking the energy to push the topic. "Wonderland used to be different? Safer?"

Regina nodded. "It was wonderful. I spent the happiest days of my youth here." She smiled and shook her head at the memories. "Jefferson and I used to..."

"Jefferson?" Emma interrupted. "The same lunatic who kidnapped me and Mary Margaret?"

"Yes," Regina replied simply. "Jefferson and I spent most of our childhoods together in Wonderland together. We were inseparable."

"Wow. I got the feeling he completely hated your guts." Regina gave Emma another warning look, effectively throwing her curiosity regarding Jefferson to the back of her mind. "Okay, so how did it go from safe happy fun land to the worst nightmare possible?"

"It evolved. Just like all worlds do. Wonderland's time table is just much faster than most other worlds. I suppose my mother wove that in to make it more interesting. Each day I'd arrive and things would be different, a new adventure would be waiting. The creatures who lived here would have new, outrageous stories to tell. They'd live weeks or months during the course of a night."

"What kind of creatures, exactly?"

"All kinds. Mostly talking animals, but there are some human... ish types, some talking inanimate objects, talking plants. Sometimes the air will talk, but that's rare."

"So it's like a really messed up Pee-wee's Playhouse?"

"I'm not sure what that is."

"Not important. When did it go from wonderful to helliful?"

Regina raised an eyebrow to chide Emma for the made-up word. "There were hints early on, I suppose. The more time passed, the stranger everything became. It was fun and quirky at first, but eventually things became unpredictable and volatile. I was 13 when I almost got killed by a marauding horde of sea creatures. Which, yes..." She raised her hand to dismiss Emma's inevitable remark. "I know it sounds crazy, but that's the thing with this place. Everything is crazy. Nothing is predictable. Begin saying your farewells to the laws of physics to which you are so accustomed." She waved her hand in the air. "As you can see, gravity doesn't always play like it should here. The trouble is, you never know when the rules will change."

And with that, gravity began whisking them downward.

"Shit!" Emma yelped and stared at Regina with wide eyes.

"Grab that!" Regina yelled back as she attempted to grab Emma's lantern and point to an umbrella which hovered in the air all at the same time.

Emma reached out and grabbed it, then looked at Regina with wide eyes again. Regina rolled her eyes. "Open it, Miss Swan."

Emma shook the umbrella open and held it up. Their downward progress slowed, and Emma gazed up at the umbrella. "This shouldn't be holding us up like this," she said.

"That's the third rule of Wonderland, Miss Swan. The things that shouldn't be... they're the most powerful of all."

"Like _that's_ not cryptic. And stop calling me Miss Swan, you make me sound like a school teacher. I do have a name, you know."

Before Regina could respond to Emma's words, she noticed the bottom of the rabbit hole finally appearing beneath them The ground was covered with large, metal spikes. "Use the umbrella to guide us to the right!" She attempted to yank Emma toward an area not covered with spikes, but a shocked Emma resisted, staring mouth-opened at the ground. "Miss Swan!"

Emma blinked at Regina. "Stop calling me that!" she replied and swung the umbrella in the air. The umbrella twisted them around before turning inside out just above a small spike-free area, and they tumbled safely to the ground.

Regina lifted herself off the ground and grabbed the small lantern which was somehow still burning brightly. She held it out for Emma, who was slowly standing and looking all around her. The darkness of the rabbit hole had been replaced by a remarkably bright landscape which looked so thoroughly strange and unfamiliar that Emma felt a cold rush of fear trickle down her spine.

"Welcome to Wonderland, Emma," Regina said quietly as Emma slowly reached out for the lantern. "Come on, we need to find Henry."


End file.
